DHAKA: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Ankara to discuss measures to stem the flow of refugees bound for Europe.

However, tens of thousands of Syrians remain stranded at the border with Turkey after fleeing a Russia-backed government offensive in Aleppo.

Merkel, whose country let in more than a million asylum seekers last year, will hold talks with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in the Turkish capital on Monday.

The EU has promised $3.3bn of aid in return for Ankara’s help in stopping the flow of new arrivals on its shores, most of whom make their way through Turkey.

The bloc’s leaders have said Ankara is obliged to keep its frontiers open to refugees, while also pressing for tighter border controls for those entering Europe.

Turkey’s Oncupinar border crossing, which faces the Bab al-Salama frontier post inside Syria, remained closed on Sunday as refugees, mostly women and children, gathered there for a third day waiting for the gate to open.

BDST: 1832 HRS, FEB 08, 2016
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